|
ROBERT WHITLEY DESTINATIONS |
PLACES TO VISIT IN NAPA, SONOMA, MADEIRA, AND MORE - CHECK BACK OFTEN! |
|
|
ROBERT WHITLEY DESTINATIONS |
PLACES TO VISIT IN NAPA, SONOMA, MADEIRA, AND MORE - CHECK BACK OFTEN! |
September 2006 --
Favorite places to stay on the wine road.Any day now the first reports of vintage 2006 will come to light. Expectations are always high until the first storm clouds gather and the daytime temperatures begin to cool. Even then, vintners are trained to contain their pessimism and make the best of what nature has given them.
You and I, on the other hand, can bask in the conditions rain or shine, for there is no better time to visit wine country than during harvest. The scent of fermenting wine, the fruit fly, the narrow roadways clogged with trucks laden with freshly picked grapes – these all have a peculiar charm.
You are quickly reminded that despite the glitzy restaurants, the five-star hotel accommodations and a dazzling array of tasting room bric-a-brac, wine country – no matter where you find it – is essentially farm land, some of it more erudite than others, but farm land nonetheless.
The soothing pace of wine country is a powerful lure that attracts millions of visitors every year, from Burgundy to the Napa Valley. The most pressing question I get from the traveling wine enthusiast is where to stay, followed closely by where to dine.
For the sake of brevity, I will focus here on a couple of my favorite wine country destinations, starting with the Napa Valley.
The Napa Valley is the most heavily traveled wine road in the United States, for a couple of reasons. First, the wines are superb and enjoy a lofty reputation. Second, the Napa Valley is easy to navigate. There are two main north-south arteries (Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail) that make it virtually impossible to get lost. It’s also easy to get to from anywhere in the United States, or the world for that matter, with three easily accessible major airports – San Francisco, Oakland and Sacramento.
My new favorite place to stay in the Napa Valley is the Auberge du Soleil (www.aubergedusoleil.com), which I visited recently after bypassing it for many, many years. This resort and spa overlooking the valley from the east side of the Silverado Trail is quite pricey, but it’s a way to do a wine country splurge in style. I also enjoy the more modestly priced and infinitely more rustic Rancho Caymus Inn (www.ranchocaymus.com). Rancho Caymus is just off Highway 29, boasts one of the Napa Valley’s finest restaurants (La Toque) and is within walking distance of exceptional casual wine country dinning at the Rutherford Grill.
You will find great wineries (Grgich Hills, Caymus, Frog’s Leap, Mondavi) in every direction. Just point and go!
For the wine lover who prefers international intrigue, Burgundy is an ideal destination. It’s easily accessible by train from Paris (about 90 minutes) and the city of Beaune, the epicenter of Burgundy, is charming and easy to walk. Beaune also is headquarters to numerous negociants (Jadot, Bouchard, etc.), making for an easy walk or taxi ride from almost any hotel to many excellent tasting rooms.
My favorite accommodation in Beaune is the eclectic Hotel Le Cep (www.hotel-cep-beaune.com), which is centrally located and just around the corner from the world-famous Hospice de Beaune. Le Cep is a four-star hotel and not expensive by the standards of France. A very good room can be had for less than $200 per night.
From Le Cep it is an easy walk to the tiny but legendary Ma Cuisine, which may well have the finest wine list and collection of older vintages in all of Burgundy. A husband and wife team run the restaurant and cater to the nourishment of their largely wine industry clientele. The food is exceptional, too.From the center of Beaune it is an easy trip (by rental car or hired car) to the famed vineyards of Volnay, Meurseault, Puligny and Chassagne. The restaurant Le Chassagne in the village of Chassagne is exceptional despite its modest appearance.
Harvest in Burgundy is especially enticing because the savory chanterelle mushroom is in season. For a short period of time each fall the chanterelle becomes a staple in every good restaurant of the region.
Today I’m going to tell you where to go!More precisely, where to stay (and dine) when you go.
By the time you read this, the vineyards of California will be ripe for the picking, the air will be thick with the smell of fermenting must and the wine roads of the Golden State will be clogged with visitors from afar.
Harvest is the season of magic in wine country. Grapes are turned into wine, bold predictions (many of them way off the mark) are made and, generally, the mood is one of optimism as everyone seems to be celebrating the bounty of this beautiful part of the world.Wine enthusiasts know of this potent mixture of beauty, romance and hedonistic pleasures and flock to wine country in droves after Labor Day. That’s when it all begins, the deluge of emails seeking information on the best places to eat and sleep in Napa and Sonoma.
No one should be surprised that I have a few favorites.
I’ve long enjoyed the rustic charm of Rancho Caymus Inn (www.ranchocaymus.com) in Rutherford, just off Highway 29 in the heart of the Napa Valley. Rates range between $175-$400 per night. When staying at Rancho Caymus, you can dine upscale at the fabulous Ken Frank restaurant, La Toque, on the premises of the inn; or you can wander 50 yards or so and have a more casual experience at the bustling and wine friendly (no corkage fee) Rutherford Grill.
Outstanding nearby restaurants include Cindy’s Back Street and Martini House in St. Helena. I highly recommend both places because the food is exceptional, with friendly and professional staff, and I feel comfortable dining at the bar when traveling solo.
The hot new place to stay in the Napa Valley – and one of the most exclusive – is the Poetry Inn (www.poetryinn.com) along the Silverado Trail in Yountville. With only five rooms (and only three that are rented) Poetry Inn is an intimate hideaway perched high above Trail with spectacular views of the vineyards of Yountville. Rates start at $475 per night for a huge, handsomely appointed accommodation within shouting distance of several of America’s finest restaurants – French Laundry, Bouchon, Bistro Jeanty and the restaurant at Domaine Chandon.
When visiting the wineries of Sonoma, I’m inclined toward the luxurious digs at Hotel Healdsburg (www.hotelhealdsburg.com) where renowned New York chef Charlie Palmer operates Dry Creek Kitchen, which of late has been hitting the high notes after a rocky opening. Rates start at $260.
The Healdsburg town square is a bustling hub in northern Sonoma County and Hotel Healdsburg is right in the middle of the action.
For a more rural experience and maybe some of the finest dining in Sonoma, the Farmhouse Inn (www.farmhouseinn.com) in the Russian River Valley is hard to beat. And rates begin at about $200 a night, which is relatively inexpensive for the region in this prime season.
One other favorite option for Sonoma winery visits is to stay closer to San Francisco in the stunningly beautiful bayside village of Sausalito. The bayside views from The Inn Above Tide (www.innabovetide.com) are spectacular, particularly when the San Francisco city lights come on after sunset.
It’s about a 30-minute drive staight up Highway 101 to the southern edge of Sonoma County wine country. You can have the clean air and fresh smells of wine country by day and the brights light of the big city by night – the best of both worlds.Rates at The Inn Above Tide start at $265. You can walk to numerous restaurants close to the hotel, or hop the ferry to San Francisco for a night on the town.
Now that you know where to stay, and even a few places to dine, I have but one other word of advice:
GO!!
REIDS PALACE: OLD WORLD CHARM ON ISLAND OF MADEIRA
Wine isn't the only attraction on the volcanic island of Madeira, though Madeira and the wine of the same name are virtually synonymous in the eyes of the world. But the landscape and flora of the Portugese archipelago about 400 miles off the coast of Morocco is captivating. Madeira is a favorite destination of northern Europeans, particularly Brits who've made the United Kingdom the top market for Madeira's fortified sweet white wine. Nowhere is the Brit influence more pronounced than at the clubby Reid's Palace, perched on a hilltop overlooking the harbor at Funchal on the main island of Madeira. This stately relic from a bygone era is more than 100 years old and recently underwent extensive renovation. Rooms (starting at about $150) are smartly furnished and cozy, service professional and amiable and the location excellent for sunbathing by the sea or hiking into the steep hills that rise dramatically within feet of the shoreline. The lodges of the Madeira wineries are a short walk from Reid's (www.reidspalace.orient-expresshotels.com) and September, during the folkloric harvest festival, is an excellent time to visit. Flying into Funchal can be done with connections through London or Lisbon. For reservations and information, contact Reid's at 1-800-223-6800.
GLEN ELLEN'S GAIGE HOUSE DEFINES WINE COUNTRY CHIC
One of the best addresses in the California wine country is Gaige House Inn, located off the beaten path in the rustic village of Glen Ellen. This handsome Victorian bed & breakfast is situated in the heart of Sonoma Valley, one of the most picturesque regions of the California wine country. The historic town of Sonoma (Sebastiani, Buena Vista, Gundlach Bundschu) is nearby, but the superb wineries of the upper Sonoma Valley (Matanzas Creek, Kenwood, Kunde, Chateau St. Jean, St. Francis) are even closer. Gaige House, with 15 rooms and three cottages, a swimming pool and whirlpool spa, fireplaces in most rooms and a nightly tasting of carefully selected wines, was named the No. 1 B&B in America by Travel & Leisure magazine in June 2000.
Rates range from $150/$575 and bookings can be made online (www.gaige.com) or by calling 800-935-0237. Gaige House's polished hardwood floors and furniture give off a decidedly masculine feel. The professional, friendly staff is always more than willing to help with restaurant suggestions and reservations and winery appointments.
THREE GREAT PLACES TO STAY WHEN VISITING NAPA VALLEYBy Robert Whitley
I remember the Napa Valley before the crowds.I remember lazy drives up Highway 29, passing the occasional oncoming car as the small towns Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford rolled past my window on the way to St. Helena, the cultural hub of the Valley.
Those were the days, eh?
Well, not exactly.
It was a different time and a different place, the Napa Valley of 30 years ago. Great restaurants didn't exist. Great inns didn't exist. Even great wines were a bit more rare than most denizens of the Valley would like to admit.
The Napa Valley is no longer a sleepy, rural agricultural community. The fame of its wines has spread far and wide, bringing with it a tidal wave of visitors that has propelled a boom in the hospitality industry.
Today's Napa Valley is an adult Disneyland, a destination for fine wine, fine dining and chic accommodations a veritable lap of luxury. Readers are just as apt to request information on hotels and restaurants in the Napa Valley as they are to inquire about the wines.
I do have a few favorite places to stay.
Milliken Creek Inn
Milliken Creek Inn is a small, handsomely decorated bed & breakfast nestled alongside the Napa River. Itıs perfectly situated on the Silverado Trail for easy jaunts to the wineries of the Stagıs Leap District, Carneros, Yountville and Mt. Veeder, appellations at the southern end of the Valley. There is a small spa and a wine tasting featuring representatives of the wineries in the neighborhood every evening.
Rates range from $295 to $625. Call 888-622-5775 for reservations, or visit them on the web at www.millikencreekinn.com.
Rancho Caymus Inn
Rancho Caymus Inn in Rutherford has been around so long that the wood burning fireplaces have been grandfathered in. This is a huge plus for this somewhat rustic stop on the Napa Valley wine trail.
The Hacienda style building surrounds a beautiful courtyard.
Rancho Caymus Inn houses La Toque, one of Napa Valleyıs premier restaurants. This is a place that has a serious wine country feel, situated next door to the venerable Beaulieu Vineyards winery.
Robert Mondavi, Grgich Hills and Caymus Vineyards also are within walking distance. Rates: $205-375. Reservations: 707-963-1777 or www.ranchocaymus.com.
The Meadowood is perhaps the most prestigious address in the Napa Valley.
This sprawling complex is located in a secluded valley off the Silverado Trail in St. Helena. It is home to the Napa Valley Wine Auction, and boasts a luxurious class spa as well as an executive golf course, tennis and pool.
All of the rooms exude understated elegance, have fireplaces, and the patio areas are private and quiet. John Thoreen is the Meadwoodıs wine guru. Thoreen conducts top-notch tastings and can arrange private tours of many of the Valleyıs finest wineries.
Top producers located nearby include Duckhorn, Phelps, Cuvaison and Rombauer. Rates: $350-2,500. Reservations: 800-458-8080 or www.meadowood.com.
WhitOnWine@aol.com
Home
Gourmet Club Radio netcasts | Wine of the Week | Whitley on Wine Radio netcasts
Features | Whitley & James video netcasts | "The Dish" | Tastings | Destinations
Hot Links | Monterey Wine Competition results | About us | E-mail
